Smoke and Fire

I was gutted at missing the De Molen Festival a few weeks ago. Thinking back, I realised it had been ages since my last visit to Bodegraven. I put that right yesterday.

Stupid. I must be stupid. Every time I go, Menno offers me a load of his latest brews. Why on earth don't I go more often?

Some things are just a bad idea. Coffee Stouts. Bourbon Stouts. I've still not forgiven Mike for slipping me that chili beer unannounced. Chili beer. What a shit idea.

Chili, shit, coffee. Funnily enough, those all featured in the beers Menno forced on me yesterday.

Rook en Vuur. Understanding a smattering of Dutch, I wondered what the name was about. Smoke and Fire. A sip told me where the first part of the name came from. Smoked malt. But the fire.

"Chili. Can you feel a slight prickle on your tongue?" Menno explained the Vuur bit.

Very subtle and unexpectedly good.

Mout en Mocca. That was an easy one to guess. Coffee Stout. I've had too many that were loaded up with roasted barley and black malt, then coffee on top of that. Roast overload. Mout en Mocca isn't like that at all. It has an incredibly complex coffee aroma.The tastes is rich, roasty and very, very layered. Top stuff. There's my opinion of Coffee Stout changed.

That's coffee and chili covered. Just the shit to go. Enter yet another Coffee Stout. Kopi Loewak. This one made with the world's most expensive coffee. You know, the stuff the cats shit out. Now there are two Coffee Stouts I like.

A revelatory day.



In the interests of full disclosure, I will reveal that I did not pay for the beers consumed. Menno is a really nice guy.